Courses

Dr Raymond Perrin is an osteopath, neuroscientist and specialist in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome CFS/ME.
Club – Physio bought him out from the UK to share his 26 years of research on the subject.
An incredibly interesting, intelligent and entertaining lecturer, it was refreshing to hear his take on the subject, as it is an illness that is difficult to diagnose, understand and treat.

The sympathetic nervous system, receives messages from all over the body, including the lymphatic system, which helps rid the body of unwanted toxins. This drainage is helped along by the pressure of the blood vessels, which when not working correctly, causes the lymphatic vessels to become engorged especially in the head and neck area.His theory(and his research proves this), is that in patients with CFS/ME, the sympathetic nervous system has become overstrained, due to different stress factors either physical, allergies, infections or emotional stress. This is often due to a build up of toxins in the CSF(cerebral spinal fluid) around the brain and spinal cord and in these patients, the drainage into the lymph ducts along the spine and into the face and neck, are congested. The theory of the physiology is obviously a lot more complicated than that, but after years of research, he has developed a very concise questionnaire and assessment form, and discovered definite physical signs common to all CFS/ME sufferers, which then helps with a definite diagnosis.

The Perrin Technique is his treatment plan that he has developed and is an osteopathic approach using manipulation of the spine, craniosacral therapy and massage. This all helps to stimulate the fluid motion around the brain and spinal cord and help aid the drainage of the toxins out of the lymphatic system and into the blood, where they can be detoxified in the liver. As the body gets rid of the poisons, the sympathetic nervous system can begin to function correctly again.

The treatment has proved to be very successful, but it is no quick fix. This is a debilitating and complicated illness and patients are given an extensive home programme together with treatment by a registered practitioner, which can last up to 2 years.

Read more about his research on his website at http://www.theperrinclinic.com/contact.html

It was really inspiring to learn from the very passionate Dr Ray Perrin and find this great new evidence that can help diagnose and treat this very relatively unknown illness. I am certainly excited to try it out on those clients in need.

Not the usual physiotherapy course, I was very happy to get CPD points for attending something I am really interested in. And I was not disappointed. Presented by a fellow physio/alternate therapist, Ivo Visic guided us throught two days of mindfulness – an integrative approach to wellness. It always helps to have a presenter who walks his talk, has no ego and has done all the research. The course was stimulating, enlightening and fun and we all came away with another tool in our toolbox to share with our clients.

Mindfulness is the `in' thing at the moment, being taught in many health care professions and businesses all over ther world. It is nothing new though, being derived from the meditational practices from the Buddhist anapanasati, which has been around for thousands of years. Rather late than never though, mindfulness is maybe an easier way for us Westerners to learn the very powerful and useful art of meditating.

So what is Mindfulness? It is, simply put , ' paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, non judgementally as if your life depended on it.' This definition comes from Jon Kabat - Zinn, creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine. The foundations of Mindfulness are non-judging, patience, trust, acceptance and letting go. These are the qualities we try to develop by practising Mindfulness, the challenge then being to apply these to everything we do in our lives. Certainly not an easy task, but worth a try. Practising Mindfulness teaches us to pay attention, and this then helps us to become more emotionally and cognitively flexible, which helps us to be aware without judgement, which results in mental and physical wellbeing. Awareness helps us to change deeply ingrained habits, change old behaviours and establish new ones, i.e. we can change the way we think, speak and behave. It requires compliance, that is, alot of practise and comittment.The reward is ahost of new, stabilizing, self-calming behaviours. The research is there and is coming in fast and furiously(Kabat-Zinn),claiming usefulness in treating chronic pain,anxiety,depression, fibromyalgia,substance abuse, headaches and a host of other lifestyle-related illnesses we all seem to suffer from.

To begin, we need to be mindful of the breath. In a comfortable position and posture, we begin to pay attention to the breath. We try not to think about it, but when the thoughts come, we notice them and then try to go back to the breath.Our focus is not too loose and not too tense. Sighing is a good way to help us to relax and start. That's the first exercise. Just sitting and being still, mindful of the breath. We did many more throughout the weekend – The Inner Smile Practice, Body Scan and Dialoguing, Somatic Integration and then using Mindfulness in our Postures, in Movement and in our own Presence as Practioners.

It was a wonderful, mindful weekend. I would highly recommend Ivo`s course for anyone,not only health care practioners. It is a very useful tool for all of us, and I plan to pass it on to my clients. Follow Ivo on ivo@trailsoflight.net

Thank you Craig from www.club-physio.co.za for providing yet another great course.